Sinker cam positioner for knitting machines



F. E. JONES.

SINKER CAM POSITIONER FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

APPLlCATlON FILED MAY 7, 1920.

1 413334, P en ed Apr. 18, 1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1-, 5 7 E20 F. E. JONES.

.SINKER CAM POSITIONE RFOR KNITTING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED MAY 7. 1920.

1A 1 3, 3 34 Patented Apr. 18, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

FRANK E. JONES, OF PAWTUCKET, RHOD-E ISLANDASSIGNO-R- TO IHIHVIPI-IILL COM- IPANY, OF CENTRAL FALLS, RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

SINKER CAM POSITIONER FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Apr, 18, 1922,

Application filed May 7, 1920. Serial No. 879,539.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK E. JoNns, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pawtucket, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented an Improvement in Sinker Cam Positioners for Knitting Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a SPGClfiCEltlOIl, l1ke characters on the drawings representing like arts.

p This invention relates to knitting machines and has to do more particularly with improvements in the type of lmitting machine disclosed in Patent No. 1,192,328 for circular knitting machines granted to John Lawson July 25, 1916.

The invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts set forth in the following specification and particularly pointed out in the claims. In the accompanying drawings wherein I have shown merely for illustrative purposes certain parts of a machine embodying this invention:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the yarn guide or latch guard support and the sinker or web holder cam supporting ring associated therewith;

Fig. 2 rep-resents the parts of Fig. 1 in side elevation;

Fig. 3 is a detail section on line 3-3 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 4 is a front view of the parts shown in Figs. 1 and 2 with the latch guard or yarn guide shown in its inoperative position; and

Fig. 5 is a side view of the parts illustrated in Fig. 1.

The type of machine to which the present invention isparticularly adapted and as illustrated in the patent above referred to involves the use of'means for reducing wear and tear upon the various sinkers or web holders and in a measure reduces the likelihood of injury to the transferring points and needles of the machine by reason of the fact that the sinker or web holder cam carrier is permitted to revolve with the needle and web holders when the yarn guide sup port or latch guard is in its inoperative position. The particular manner of effecting this result as disclosed in said patent is to provide lugs upon the said cam supports which are adapted toeifect engagement with the shank of the latch guard only when said latch guard is. in its operative position. In other words the latch guard or yarn guide support is arranged to interlock with the web holder or sinker cam carrier at certain times in the operation of the machine to limit or prevent relative movement between said members while at other times these members are disengaged and said cam carrier is permitted to revolve withthe web holders and thereby prevent functioning of said web holders, said members being brought into interlocking relation upon the movement of the latch guard or yarn guide support to its operative position.

An object of the present invention is to provide means for properly aligning the engaging or interlocking portions of said cam carrier and said latch guard when the latter is moved into its operative position in order to prevent injury to the adjusting devices ordinarily employed in effecting the precise positioning of said members with respect to each other and also to obviate the necessity for a more accurate adjustment of said members rior to the movement of the latch guar to its operative position.

For convenience the invention is shown applied to the type of machineillustrated in said patent, which is the well known Baninvention is not limited to the specific application shown but may be used with equally good results in connection with various other types of machines such as with knitting machines of the circular type wherein the needle cylinder remains stationary and the latch guard and corresponding .parts are revolved.

Furthermore the invention is shown as applied to a latch needle knitting machine although clearly'the invention will be applicable to machines employing spring needles or other types of knitting instruments.

In the drawings 1 represents a sinker ring secured in the usual manner to the needle carrier or cylinder not shown in the drawings. Mounted upon said sinker mug is a sinker cam carrier 2 of the well known Banner construction, said carrier being secured by suitable clamping devices shown at 3 so as to permit a relative rotary movement between said cam carrier and said sinker ring.

Arranged above the sinker cam carrier and sinker ring (and by the word sinker I mean generally instruments that actually sink the yarn between the needles or knitting instruments as well as instruments that are commonly known as web holders) is a yarn guide support 4 performing, in the present example, a twofold function namely that of a latch guardand a yarn guide support, the present example embodying the features of a latch needle machine rather than a spring needle machine. As hereinbefore stated,the yarn guide support 4: ha a shank 5 of relatively narrow formation which extends to the rear of the machine and receives a stud 6 which isjournalled to rock in ears 7, 7 formed at the upper end of a post 8, the lat ter being mounted upon a portion of the frame of the knitting machine not shown in the drawings, Thus said latch guard or yarn guide support may be moved or pivotally swung from its operative position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 to the inoperative position of Figs. 4 and 5.

The latch guard or yarn guide support 4 is provided with an' extension 9 at one side thereof herein 90 degrees from the shank 5, said extension having ears 10, 10 between which the usual yarn guides or levers ll, 11 are pivotally mounted and these levers being of well known construction no further description thereof is believed necessary. The sinkers or web holders of the machine are functioned in the usual manne-r'as by means of suitable cams carried by the sinker ring 2, said cams being indicated at 12 but the sinkers or web holders being of well known construction and operation have been omitted from. the drawing.

It is, however, well understood that normally the cam carrier '2 and the sinkers or web holders are relatively movable and as a circular machine is herein shown one of said members will be given a rotary movement while the other is maintained stationary during the knitting operations and as the needle carrier and the latch guard or yarn guide support must also have relative movement in order that the knitting elements function properly, therefore during the functioning of the web holders, said webholder cam carrier will be revolved with the latch guard in case the needle carrier is stationary or where said needle carrier revolves, said latch guard or yarn guide support and said cam carrier will be maintainedin relatively stationary or fixed relation.

To accomplish the conjoint action of said cam carrier and said latch guard these members are adapted to be interlocked during the period when said latch guard is in its operative position for knitting and unlocked when said guard is in its inoperative position so as to allow the cam carrier to revolve with the needle carrier and the sinkers thereon.

In the present example I have shown merely for convenience a rotary knitting ma.- chine with a revolving needle carrier as in the case of the Banner knitting machine and further description will relate to this type of machine but without in any way limiting the invention to such type.

To produce the interlocking of the latch guard and said cam carrier which, in this example, is a. cam ring, a U-shaped bracket 13 is provided, said bracket being attached to said cam ring in a location adapted to maintain the cams 12 in the proper relation to the yarn guides 11, when said U-shaped bracket is in a position to align with the shank 5 of the latch guard. The bracket 13 includes upstanding lugs 1 and 15 arranged upon opposite sides of the shank 5. These lugs are each provided with adjustable stops 16 herein screws which are adapted to be adjusted so as to engage, at the proper times, their respective sides of the shank 5 during reciprocating or rotary movements of the needle carrier, this engagement being due to the friction of the web holders or sinkers that are moved with the needle carrier into contact with the cams 12. Thus when the direction of the needle cylinder is changed during reciprocating knitting friction ofsaid sinkers or web holders upon said cams will produce a shogging action of said cam ring to cause first one of said stops 16 and then the other to engage the latch guard and effect the automatic adjustment of the cams with respect to the yarn guides during such form of knitting.

When the latch guard is in its operative position the shank 5 thereof lies between the adjacent ends of the stops 16 but when said latch guard is raised to its inoperative position to provide clearance for transferring or to facilitate access to the needles or other parts of the machine normally obscured or covered thereby, said shank will be withdrawn from its position between said stops. As a consequence of this withdrawal no resistance to the frictional action upon said ring by the web-holders will be present so that said ring will revolve with the needle cylinder and prevent the functioning of the web holders or sinkers. To restore the parts to theirnormal operating relation the cam ring 2 must be turned until the gap between the stops 16 aligns with the shank 5 of said latch guard and unless great care is exercised in making this adjustment there is likelihood of a misplacement of said stop so that when said latch guard is swung downwardly to its operative position, one or the other of said stops will be struck and bent or otherwise injured so that they. will not properly perform their functions. To eliminate this liability means are provided for properly aligning said cam ring and the adjustable stops carried thereby with said shank 5 so that said shank will drop between said stops without injury thereto.

The pivotal stud 6 for the latch guard 4 is preferably secured to rock with said latch guard by means of a screw 6 shown most clearly in Fig. 2 and the ends of said stud project beyond the outer faces of the ears 7, they having secured thereon levers 17 and 18 provided, at their outer ends, with cam members 19. The levers 17 and 18 are secured by screws 20 in certain definite relation to the latch guard t so that said cam members 19 will cooperate in the present example, with abutments 21 and 22 upon said latch ring 2 during certain pivotal movements of said latch guard to effect a circumferential movement of said cam ring and thereby align the stops 16 or rather the space 16 between said stops with the shank 5 of said latch guard." The movement of said latch guard which effects such alignment is preferably that movement whereby it is returned to its operative position and the lengths of the cam members 19 are such as to insure the proper positioning of said ring whenever the stops 16 are in the vicinity of said shank 5 or in positions where they are likely to be injured if engaged by said shank. The relation, however, of said levers 17 and 18 to the latch guard 4 is such that when said latch guard is in its inoperative position, the cam members 19 of said levers will lie just above the plane of the abutments 21' and 22 and when said latch guard is moved to its operative position, will engage one or the other hereinthe abutment 22 because the stop 16 nearest to said abutment is beneath the shank 5. After moving said abutment 22 and the ring to which it is attached, said members 19 will move beyond the range of said abutments as shown in Fig. 2 and there remain during the operations of the machine normally out of contact or engagement with said abutments or any other part of the cam r1n n the present example the lower inclines 23 of the cam members 19 erform the functions described, whereas t e upper inclines 24 are merely to provide clearance between said cam members and the abutments 21 and 22 when said latch guard is in its operative position as shown in Fig. 2.

- While I have herein shown and described merely for illustrative purposes one specific embodiment of my invention, and have disclosed and discussed in detail the construction and arrangement incidental to such disclosure, it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is limited neither to the mere details or relative arrangement of parts nor to the specific application shown, but that extensive variations from the illustrations may be made without departing from the principles thereof.

Claims.

1. In a knitting machine, a cam carrier, a pivotal member adapted, while in its operative position, to limit relative movement between said cam carrier and said pivotal member, and means automatically to effect operative relation between said cam carrier and said pivotal member when the latter is moved to its operative position.

2. In a knitting machine the combination of a revoluble cam carrier, a latch guard adapted for movement to and from its operative position, means to effect engagement between said guard and said carrier when said guard is in its operative position, and means to position said carrier circumferentially, for engagement with said latch guard.

3. In a knitting machine the combination of a revoluble cam carrier, a pivotal latch guard adapted for movement to and from its operative position, means to effect engagement between said carrier and guard when the latter is in its operative position, and means operable during movement of said guard to its operative position to move said carrier for engagement with said guard.

4. In a circular knitting machine the combination of a cam carrier, a pivotal member adapted while in its operative position to limit relative movement of said carrier, and positioning means automatically to position said carrier for engagement with said pivotal member.

5. In a knitting machine the combination of a cam carrier, a yarn guide support adapted when in its operative position to interlock with and limit relative movement of said cam carrier, and means functioned by said yarn guide support during movement thereof toward its operative position to effect interlocking alignment of said carrier and said support. ,4

6. In a knitting machine the combination of a sinker cam carrier, a yarn guide support adapted for movement to and from inter locking relation with said sinker cam carrier, and means to align said carrier and said support for interlocking engagement.

7. In a knitting machine the combination of a sinker cam carrier, a yarn guide support adapted for movement into interlock ing cooperation with said sinker cam car- ,rier, and means "operative during movement of said yarn guide support toeffect inter locking alignment of said carrier and said support.

8. In a knitting machine the combination of a latch guard adapted for movement into its operating position, a web holder or sinker cam carrier, means to provide operative engagement one with the other when said latch guard is in its operative position, and means automatically to position said carrier for operative engagement with said latch guard.

9. In a knitting machine the combination of a sinker cam carrier, a yarn guide support adapted for movement into and out of its operative position, stops carried by said sinker cam carrier adapted to engage said yarn guide support when the latter is in its operative position, to limit relative movement between said cam carrier and said support, and means operable during move ment of said yarn guide support to its operative position to effect engaging alignment of said stops with said support;

10. In a knitting machine the combination of a sinker cam carrier, a yarn guide sup port adapted for movement into and out of its operative position, adjustable stops carried by said sinker cam carrier adapted to engage said yarn guide support when the latter is in its operative position, to limit relative movement between said cam carrier and said support, and means operable during movement of said yarn guide support to its operative position to effect interlocking alignment of said stops with said support.

11. In a knitting machine the combination of a sinker cam carrier, a yarn guide support pivoted for movement into and out of its inoperative position, means for interlocking said yarn guide support with said sinker cam carrier when said support is in its operative position, and means to eflect interlocking alignment of said carrier and said support during movements of the latter toits operative position, said means including a cam on one of the members and an abutment upon the other member.

12. A knitting machine having in combination a latch guard, a sinker cam carrier, a pair of stops on said sinker cam carrier respectively to engage said latch guard during alternate movements of the knitting machine in reciprocating knitting, said latch guard being movable into and out of operative position whereby said stops 'will engage with or be disengaged from said latch guard, and means operative upon movement of said latch guard to its operative position to position said stops in operative alignment with said latch guard.

13. A knitting machine comprising a revoluble sinker cam ring, a latch ring pivoted for movement into its operative position, opposed adjustable stops on said cam ring adapted for alternate engagement with said latch ring when the latter is in its operative position, and means operable during the pivotal movements of said latch ring to effect cooperating alignment of said stops with said ring.

14. In a knitting machine the combination of a cam carrier, a yarn guide support adapted for movement into and out of its operative position, means on said carrier normally to engage said support and limit relative movement of said carrier, and means to position said support engaging means for receiving said support during movement thereof to its operative position, said positioning means including opposed cam members movable with said support and adapted for engagement with abutments on said carrier.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

FRANK E; JONES, 

